God’s power to change hardened hearts is a powerful and life-changing truth that Christians hold dear. Understanding how God can take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh can give hope to those who are struggling in their spiritual journey. In this article, we will explore 20 Scriptures that demonstrate God’s ability to change hearts and remove all hardness.
Importance of Understanding How God Can Change Hardened Hearts
Understanding how God can change hardened hearts is vital to a Christian’s walk with God. As human beings, we often have hard hearts due to our sinful nature, but with God’s power, we can experience a heart transformation that can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
Can God Change a Hardened Heart?
Ezekiel 36:26-27 – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
1 Samuel 10:9 – “As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.”
Jeremiah 24:7 – “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”
Acts 16:14 – “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
Acts 26:18 – “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
How Does God Change a Hardened Heart?
Romans 2:4 – “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
2 Corinthians 3:16 – “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Ezekiel 11:19 – “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
Isaiah 64:8 – “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Do Not Harden Your Heart Bible Verse
Hebrews 3:15 – “As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.'”
Proverbs 28:14 – “Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.”
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 – “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.”
Acts 7:51 – “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”
Psalm 95:7-8 – “Today, if only you would hear his voice, ‘Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness.”
Examples of God-Changing Hardened Hearts
Pharaoh’s Heart – Exodus 10:1-2 – “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.'”
Nebuchadnezzar’s Heart – Daniel 4:34-35 – “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?'”
Jonah’s Heart – Jonah 2:1-10 – “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: ‘In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains, I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.'”
Conclusion
The Bible is clear that God can change hardened hearts. He is a God of compassion and grace, who desires that all people come to repentance and knowledge of the truth. By understanding the Scriptures that show God’s power to change hearts, we can have hope that God can transform even the hardest hearts and lead us to a life of purpose and fulfillment in Him.